Syria

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest. A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including Syrian Arabs, Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds, Circassians, Mandeans and Turkemens. Religious groups include Sunnis, Christians, Alawites, Druze, Isma'ilis, Mandeans, Shiites, Salafis, Yazidis, and Jews. Sunnis make up the largest religious group in Syria.

The Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya 1 at the center of a dispute between Tehran and Western powers, which went dark off Syria earlier in the week, has been photographed by satellite off the Syrian port..

The Syrian island of Arwad, once a shipbuilding and tourism hub, is among few places in the country that remained untouched by the scars of war. But residents say the eight-year conflict has severely..

Why is Turkey threatening to make new incursions in northern Syria? What are the implications for Syrian Kurds, the fight against the so-called Islamic State, and already strained US-Turkish relations?

The U.S. military will not increase troop levels in Syria to carry out joint patrols with Turkish forces, a top general said on Friday, adding that his goal was to eventually reduce the number of U.S...Reuters - Published 2 days ago

Gibraltar acted in good faith when it released the Adrian Darya 1 tanker and Iran broke assurances it had given not to sell the crude oil to Syria, the British territory's maritime minister said on..Reuters - Published 2 days ago

The leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran will discuss the difficult situation in Syria's Idlib province when they meet in Ankara early next week for a summit, Yuri Ushakov, a senior Kremlin aide, said on..Reuters - Published 2 days ago

The United States has evidence that the Iranian tanker Adrian Darya 1 has transferred its crude oil to the Syrian government, breaking assurances it gave not to sell crude to the country, the U.S...Reuters - Published 2 days ago

Israel must be allowed to act freely against Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday during a visit to Sochi, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss security..Reuters - Published 3 days ago

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that Israel will not put up with threats from Iran, which, in his words, was using Syrian territory for..Reuters - Published 3 days ago

Air strikes pounded the south of Syria's Idlib region on Thursday, a rebel official and residents said, despite a ceasefire that had halted a fierce army offensive against the rebel stronghold two..Reuters - Published 3 days ago

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday threatened war in Gaza and then flew to Russia to discuss Israeli freedom of action in Syria with President Vladimir Putin as a frenetic election..Reuters - Published 3 days ago

Syrian rebel fighters on Wednesday said Russian-backed forces were amassing troops in preparation for resuming a five-month offensive in northwest Syria after a second day of raids by jets believed to..Reuters - Published 4 days ago

Iran's envoy to London said on Wednesday the oil cargo of tanker Adrian Darya 1 was sold at sea to a private company, denying Tehran had broken assurances it had given over the vessel, but he insisted..Reuters - Published 4 days ago

Jets believed to be Russian bombed rebel-held areas in northwest Syria on Wednesday amid increased shelling of towns by the Syrian army that threatened the collapse of a fragile Russian-brokered..Reuters - Published 4 days ago

U.S.-led coalition forces have carried out air strikes in Syria causing a high number of civilian casualties, indicating that required precautions were ignored and war crimes may have been committed,..Reuters - Published 4 days ago

Britain said Iran had sold the oil cargo of tanker Adrian Darya 1 to Syria, breaking assurances it had given over the vessel which had been detained in Gibraltar for a suspected breach of European..Reuters - Published 5 days ago

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that Washington is stalling in its agreement to create a "safe zone" in northeast Syria, and repeated that Ankara was ready to act on its own..Reuters - Published 5 days ago

Turkey cannot handle a new wave of migrants from northern Syria, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, adding that Ankara and Washington needed to establish a "safe zone" in the region as soon as..Reuters - Published 5 days ago

Israeli planes hit a Syrian army camp under construction in eastern Syria early on Monday without casualties, said a military media unit run by Lebanon's Hezbollah, a Syrian government ally.Reuters - Published 6 days ago

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, speaking hours after joint U.S.-Turkey patrols began in northern Syria, said on Sunday Ankara and Washington have constantly disagreed over establishing the planned..Reuters - Published 1 week ago

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday Turkey should not try to coerce either Greece or Europe in its attempts to get support for a plan to resettle Syrian refugees in northern Syria.Reuters - Published 1 week ago

Armed Turkish military vehicles crossed into Syria on Sunday and headed southwest with U.S. counterparts to begin planned joint patrols to establish a "safe zone" along a border region mainly..Reuters - Published 1 week ago

Syria condemned on Sunday joint U.S.-Turkish patrols in a border strip in the northeast of the country, saying it was a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty, an official statement said.Reuters - Published 1 week ago

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he expects to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the United Nations later this month to discuss military operations in northeast Syria, where Turkey..Reuters - Published 1 week ago

The Syrian army said on Saturday its air defenses foiled a drone attack by "terrorist" groups on a main military base in northwestern Syria where a Russian-brokered ceasefire has stopped months of..Reuters - Published 1 week ago

The Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya 1 at the center of a dispute between Tehran and Western powers, which went dark off Syria earlier in the week, has been photographed by satellite off the Syrian port..Reuters - Published 1 week ago

Joint military land patrols by Turkish and U.S. forces in northeast Syria are planned to start on Sept. 8, state-owned Anadolu news agency quoted Defense Minister Hulusi Akar as saying on Friday.Reuters - Published 1 week ago

The European Union has set up a common counter-terrorism register, hoping to facilitate prosecutions and convictions of suspected militants and people returning home from fighting with Islamic State in..Reuters - Published 1 week ago

Turkey plans to resettle 1 million refugees in northern Syria and may reopen the route for migrants into Europe if it does not receive adequate international support for the plan, President Tayyip..Reuters - Published 1 week ago

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday Turkey may have to open the route for migrants into Europe if Ankara does not receive sufficient international support to deal with Syrian refugees.Reuters - Published 1 week ago

Syria's wheat and barley crops this year improved helped by favorable rainfall and better overall security but food security remains a challenge, a joint report by the United Nations Food and..Reuters - Published 1 week ago

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that a so-called de-escalation zone in Syria's Idlib region is slowly disappearing because of military attacks by government forces.Reuters - Published 2 weeks ago

Explosions heard on Tuesday in the Syrian coastal city of Latakia were a result of anti-aircraft defenses intercepting drones launched toward Hmeimim air base, Syrian state TV and the state news agency..Reuters - Published 2 weeks ago

At least one civilian was killed and more than 16 wounded on Tuesday by two bombs hidden in motorbikes in the Syrian border town of Azaz, which is controlled by Turkey-backed rebels, two witnesses and..Reuters - Published 2 weeks ago

Hungarian prosecutors said on Tuesday they had charged a 27-year-old Syrian man with terrorism and crimes against humanity committed as a member of Islamic State in 2015.Reuters - Published 2 weeks ago

The Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya 1 at the center of a dispute between Tehran and Western powers appears to have turned off its transponder in the Mediterranean west of Syria, Refinitiv ship-tracking..Reuters - Published 2 weeks ago